Factbox: France’s voters pick president, then parliament

PARIS (Reuters) – France’s 46.03 million voters cast ballots on Sunday in a presidential election where all opinion polls point to a victory for Socialist Francois Hollande over conservative re-election contender Nicolas Sarkozy. A parliamentary election follows on June 10 and 17. Following are some facts about the electoral system: THE SYSTEM The French directly elect their president and members of the National Assembly, the 577-seat lower house of parliament, every five years. The system allows for two rounds of voting. …

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Suu Kyi makes historic debut in Myanmar parliament

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (Reuters) – Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi took a historic oath on Wednesday to join a parliamentary system crafted by the generals who locked her away for much of her long struggle against dictatorship, ushering in a dramatic new political era. The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner’s debut in a parliament stacked with uniformed soldiers could accelerate reforms that have already included the most sweeping changes in the former British colony since a military coup 50 years ago. The signs of change have already prompted some countries to suspend sanctions. …

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Indonesia police shoot dead suspected militants in Bali

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian police shot dead five suspected militants in Bali overnight who had identified and surveyed targets they were planning to attack, the national counter terrorism agency said on Monday, and were linked to the banned Jemaah Islamiah group. “They have several targets in several locations in Bali. They have surveyed the places,” Ansyaad Mbai, head of national counter-terrorism agency, told Reuters by phone. Mbai described the sites as “typical terrorist targets” but declined to give further details. …

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Insight: On uneasy ANC centenary, a call for cleansing (Reuters)

Reuters – A black bull bellows and snorts in its death throes, sacrificed with a ceremonial spear in an age-old African cleansing ritual to ward off evil spirits and appease the souls of ancestors.

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Chris Paul trade rejected: Was it really to save NBA parity? (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor – When National Basketball Association owners and players salvaged a good portion of the current season with a new collective bargaining agreement, sports-labor experts were split over whether or not it would fix the main problem it set out to address: inequality between small-and large-market teams.

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Chris Paul trade rejected: Was it really to save NBA parity?
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Republicans split on taxes in debt deal (Reuters)

Reuters – Republicans faced a divisive internal debate over taxes on Thursday as lawmakers from the party’s conservative wing urged a deficit-reduction committee to rule out any deal that includes tax increases.

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Finland: No deal likely on Greek collateral (AP)

AP – Finland’s finance minister said she doesn’t expect the eurozone to resolve a dispute over her country’s demand for collateral for loans to Greece at a meeting Friday — adding to concerns over the currency union’s ability to stamp out its crippling debt crisis.

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Obama says new task force will examine gas prices (AP)

AP – President Barack Obama said Thursday that the Justice Department will try to “root out” cases of fraud or manipulation in oil markets, even as Attorney General Eric Holder suggested a variety of legal reasons may be behind gasoline’s surge to $4 a gallon.

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Obama says new task force will examine gas prices (AP)

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Planned Parenthood, abortion and the budget fight (AP)

AP – Republicans portray Planned Parenthood as primarily focused on performing abortions and — intentionally or not — using American taxpayer dollars to do it.

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White House says shutdown will delay pay to troops (AP)

AP – The Obama administration warned Wednesday that a federal shutdown would undermine the economic recovery, delay pay to U.S. troops fighting in three wars, slow the processing of tax returns and limit small business loans and government-backed mortgages during peak home buying season.

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